A 30-year-old Washington state man is accused of “curb-stomping” his mother then listening to her make noises for a half an hour before she died.
Antony Ton Le was arrested on Tuesday and charged with criminal homicide in the death of 61-year-old Thuy Nu Thu Ton, KOMO reported.
The King County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies were called to a condominium in Auburn at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday after the owner of the condo called and said he’d found a woman unresponsive and possible assaulted.
The caller said he had returned home and found Ton on the floor, wrapped in a blanket and suffering from facial injuries. Deputies wrote that she had swollen eyes and blood coming from her nose. First responder attempted to save her life but were unsuccessful.
The condo owner told investigators that he rented a room to Le, a man he’d known for years. He said that Ton often stayed at the condo to help take care of her son. Le, he said had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He also had a history of violence when he stopped taking his medication — which he’d done about five months earlier, growing every hostile toward him and his mother.
He told investigators that he left for work about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday and returned shortly after 1 p.m., noticing the blankets piled on the floor. That’s when he discovered Ton beneath them. He went to a neighbor’s to call 911 because he doesn’t have a cell phone.
Deputies arrived at the home and attempted to contact Le, but he did not respond. A tactical team later entered the condo and found him in a bedroom. He was taken in for questioning and reportedly told detectives that he killed his mother after an argument about school and financies.
He said he grabbed her in a chokehold and threw her to the floor, “curb stomping” her on the neck multiple times. Then, he said, he wrapped her in blankets and pillows to “heal” her, listening to the sounds she made for a about 30 minutes before she died.
Then, he said, he washed his clothes and went to bed. He said he didn’t call 911 because he expected his roommate to be home soon.
Le is being held on a $2 million bond, KING said.
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[Featured image: Antony Ton Le/KOMO screenshot]